Two Arrested Over Operation of Unlicensed Health Facility in Kawangware

By : Mweru Mbugua 

Detectives in Nairobi have arrested two suspects accused of operating an unlicensed health facility in Kawangware, as authorities intensify efforts to clamp down on illegal medical centres

The suspects identified as Olima Bramwel Douglas, the owner of Dowamed Medicare Centre, and his alleged accomplice, Francisca Otieno Omondi were arrested in the Congo area of Dagoretti on Wednesday

The operation was conducted by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) in collaboration with the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC)

According to the DCI, the suspects were found running a medical facility without a valid licence and practising in an unregistered institution, in violation of the law

“Detectives from the Operation Support Unit (OSU), alongside officers from the Kenya Medical Practitioners and Dentists Council (KMPDC), apprehended the two individuals engaged in this illicit activity in Kawangware, within Dagoretti,” the DCI said in a statement

The two are currently in custody and are being processed ahead of their arraignment in court. Authorities say they are expected to face charges related to operating an unlicensed health institution

The DCI reaffirmed its commitment to shutting down illegal medical facilities, noting that the ongoing crackdown aims to protect the public from unqualified and unregulated practitioners

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“In collaboration with the KMPDC, the Directorate of Criminal Investigations remains committed to dismantling unlicensed health facilities and safeguarding the public through sustained nationwide operations,” the statement added

The arrests come amid heightened scrutiny of illegal medical practices in Kawangware, following the death of a young man, Amos Isoka, who succumbed to complications after a botched tooth extraction allegedly performed by a quack dentist earlier this month

Isoka died on January 14 at Kenyatta National Hospital, where he had been admitted with severe swelling of the neck, tongue and chest. He passed away in the critical care unit after experiencing breathing complications, 15 days after the procedure

Police say investigations into the incident are ongoing, and the suspect believed to have carried out the fatal dental procedure remains at large